Ocean Pal
by CatNinja0122
Summary: There are strange creatures in this world. Yuma, eight years old, finds that out when he meets Shark. A close friendship blossoms quickly, and it becomes even closer when people called the Creature Hunters capture Shark. It's all up to Yuma to save him now!
1. Chapter 1: A Friend in the Depths

I couldn't resist this idea, and I couldn't wait to finish my other stories before posting it. So, here you go!

Yuma sat on the dock, his feet in the ocean water. He stared directly down at the shimmering water, the setting sun glinting off it. The young boy smiled down at himself.

Water splashed on his face, and Yuma looked up with curiosity. Another young boy with tentacle-like, deep purple hair was staring at him with large, ocean-blue eyes. He was shivering. Yuma wondered why he was actually in the water right now, with the fact it was only 64 degrees. Too cold to swim.

"Are you okay?" Yuma asked, inching a little closer to the boy. He shivered and shook his head, not saying a word. Yuma frowned, then shot up with a smile. "Stay here. I'll be right back." He ran off, all the way back to his house. When he returned, he had a purple jacket with him that he just recently got. Yuma slid it on the boy and smiled when he stopped shivering. "There. You're okay."

"Thank you. What's your name?" asked the boy.

"Yuma. My name's Yuma. What's yours?"

"It's Reginald. But you can call me Shark."

"Okay Shark. What're you doing in this water?"

"I live here." Shark grabbed Yuma gently by the hands and splashed him in. When Yuma re-surfaced, he spit some water up and stared at Shark. "Why?"

"You look like the kind of person who can keep a secret and have some fun."

"Okay?"

"I wanna show you something."

"What is it Shark?" Yuma stared as Shark held up a purple tail fin, splashing Yuma in the face with water and shock. The pink and black-haired boy gasped as Shark smiled gently.

"Isn't it cool?" Shark asked. Yuma nodded. He held up his hand curiously. "Can I... feel it?" he asked in a whisper. Shark nodded. The young boy gently grazed his fingertips across Shark's tail, causing him to giggle. It was smooth and silky, not at all what Yuma would've expected. Yuma soon returned his attention to the purple-haired boy in front of him.

"So... you're a merman?"

"Yup."

"And you live in this ocean?"

"Uh-huh."

"Wow, that's so cool! I come to this dock every day after school! Maybe we can hang out more often?"

"Why not?" Shark splashed some water on Yuma's face again with his tail. Yuma yelped in fear at the sudden cold.

"I am gonna get you!" Yuma splashed water back on Shark, who jumped under the water. The pink and black-haired boy couldn't see him when he re-surfaced behind him. Shark gently coiled his tail around Yuma, tickling him with it. Yuma went into a fit of laughter.

"Stop! Stop! That tickles!"

"I'd rather not."

The two kept at it until Shark dove under the water again. When he came up again, he was staring behind Yuma with a somewhat confused expression. Yuma noticed and frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"What time do you need to be home?"

"Any time before nine o'clock. Why?"

"The sun is setting Yuma. You should get going." Yuma whirled around in alarm. The sun _was_ setting. The pink and black-haired boy gasped and shot out of the water. "You're right, I gotta go. See you tomorrow Shark!" Shark watched as Yuma ran off. The merman didn't take his gaze off the area until he was sure Yuma was gone. He began swimming backwards a bit.

"Huh. Yuma and I are friends...but I was always warned to stay away from humans. Wonder what makes Yuma the exception in my mind?" Shark dove under the water. He decided that if Yuma was going to rest, so was he. The purple-haired boy swam over to a brush of corral and lay down, coiling his tail around him. Shark looked up at the glinting water surface from where he lay. He smiled.

"Goodnight Yuma...hope you show up tomorrow." Shark folded the jacket Yuma had given him into a nice square, then lay his head down on it. He desperately wished he could be with Yuma, or that Yuma could be with him. But Yuma couldn't breathe underwater, and Shark couldn't live without at least being in water.

Well, they still had the time at the dock tomorrow. Shark closed his eyes and soon tumbled off into a deep sleep.

Meanwhile Yuma, who had since gotten home, was laying in his hammock and staring at the ceiling. The lamp was still on, but other than that, the room was dark. All the while Yuma was thinking about Shark and what happened just thirty minutes ago.

_I can't believe it. A merman! I had no idea those were real. Was he just playing a trick on me? No, he couldn't have been! I saw how it connected to the rest of his body when I touched it._ Yuma rubbed his fingers together. They felt just like Shark's tail fin had.

"Wow... today was great! I can't wait for tomorrow." Yuma yawned and stretched, then rolled over a bit. He stared out his window, just barely being able to make out the line of the ocean. It glinted under the moonlight, causing the pink and black-haired boy to smile. Yuma reached over and turned off his lamp, then stared into the darkness for a while.

_I hope I can show up tomorrow._ And soon after, Yuma had fallen asleep, as well.


	2. Chapter 2: A New Threat Introduced

Yuma was excited. The whole time during school, he hadn't been focusing on anything but Shark and what they were going to do. As soon as he was out of school, he was gonna make a run for the dock to meet with his new friend.

The minutes ticked by ever so slowly. Yuma glanced up at the clock. It was 2:30! The pink and black-haired boy rolled his eyes and groaned mentally. He lay his head on his desk, messing with a pencil on it. Tori, who sat beside him, stared as her friend fiddled with the pencil. She rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the board, continuing with her work.

The clock hit 2:45. More time was passing then Yuma thought. Only fifteen more minutes were left as Yuma stared. 2:46...2:47... It kept going like that until the clock finally hit 3 o'clock. Yuma shot up and blasted out the door, running out of the school building with his backpack. He took and immediate turn to his house, threw his stuff in and began to run back out the door.

"Yuma, where do you think you're going?" Yuma froze. He turned, meeting eye-to-eye with his older sister, Kari. She stared at her little brother. Yuma giggled.

"I'm going out to the dock like I do everyday."

"Be home by six this time. You've missed dinner for the past two days."

"No problem sis." Yuma smiled and ran out the door. Kari smiled back and shook her head lightly. "He is so weird sometimes." She turned around and closed the door, proceeding to help make dinner. Yuma on the other hand was half way to the dock.

_I made it today! And with three extra hours!_ Yuma thought as he sped up. He soon was standing on the dock, staring straight out into the water. When it splashed in his face, he knew Shark was there. Yuma looked down and smiled. His friend still had the purple jacket from the day before.

"What's up Shark?"

"You are. Come here." Yuma did as he was told. Shark put his hands over Yuma's when the boy got on his knees, causing him to blush. The purple-haired boy smirked and lifted Yuma. He let out a startled screech as he was put into the water. When Yuma re-surfaced, Shark was snickering.

"You're crazy!" Yuma yelled, his bangs hanging in his face.

"You gotta admit, though. That was pretty funny." Shark said, a smirk on his face. As hard as he tried to stay mad, Yuma just couldn't, and ended up laughing out loud. Shark giggled.

"Okay yeah, it was funny. But don't do that too often. My parents were angry that I came home soaking wet." Yuma shook his head like a dog. Shark pulled him a bit closer with his tail, then flicked some water on him. The pink and black-haired boy yelped. He flung some back on Shark, who didn't pay much attention to it as he lifted Yuma onto his back. Yuma raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"You wanna go for a ride?" Shark asked, glancing back at Yuma. He went wide-eyed.

"Are you sure?"

"Why not? Unless you're afraid."

"I'm not afraid. Okay, let's do it. But can you do me a favor and have me back by five so I can get home?"

"Whatever." Shark began to jump around in the water, trying to get Yuma used to it before going out of the shallow end. It took a few tries with Yuma falling off on some, but soon they were far from the dock, right in the middle of the ocean. Shark glanced back up at Yuma. He had a big smile on his face and he giggled. It was obvious Yuma was enjoying this.

The sun glinted off the ocean. Yuma stared at the sky, Shark stared at the ocean. Soon, Shark lifted Yuma, who let out another startled shriek. The purple-haired boy flipped over and lay Yuma on his stomach, causing the pink and black-haired boy to blush madly. Shark smirked upon seeing his friend's expression.

"What's that look for?" Shark asked, smirking.

"What are you doing?" Yuma asked with a shiver.

"Just havin' a little fun."

"O-Oh..." Yuma smiled down at Shark nervously, gripping his shoulders. Shark smiled back, then glanced at the sun. He went wide-eyed upon realizing he only had five minutes to get Yuma back to the dock.

"You better hang on tight." Shark warned him before flipping back over and taking off. Yuma yelped but did as he was told, realizing that it was 5:30 as Shark sped off toward the dock. Yuma hopped off, waved to Shark and began to flee. That just left the merman to himself.

The water suddenly began to ripple around Shark. He stared, alarmed. When he realized what was going on, he gasped and fled under. Taking a glance in the direction of the rippling, Shark went wide-eyed. A submarine with two humans in it. One came out wearing a diving suit, a net in his hands. Shark gulped and flung himself in his coral bed, hiding under it and the seaweed. He didn't dare peek out when the human went swimming by.

So this was why he'd always been warned to stay away from humans. It was because some were after creatures like him. Shark trembled and held himself. When he remembered the jacket on him, he thought of Yuma.

"Yuma won't let them hurt me." Shark whispered, sitting and coiling his tail around himself, trying to keep calm. "He won't let them harm me. And even if they do, he'll save me."

More bubbles flew by. This human was persistent but dumb. Shark was smart enough to hide in an obvious place. The human took one more swim around, and coming up empty-handed, fled back to the submarine. Shark used the coral as a peep-hole to see what was going on outside. In an array of bubbles, the submarine was gone. Shark breathed a sigh of relief. He was safe, for now.

Inside the submarine, a man with spiked orange and brown hair shook himself wildly. The woman driving with violet and lavender hair growled upon getting wet."Nistro, stop doing that. I hate it when you get me wet." she complained, not taking her eyes off what was in front of her. Nistro smirked and chuckled."You have no sense of humor, Dextra." he said.

"I can't have one. It distracts me from our mission to capture the merman in this ocean."

"It doesn't distract me!"

"That's because you were born distracted." Dextra smirked as Nistro freaked out. She watched from the mirror as he lay on the couch with a pouty face. Dextra turned and looked at him for a few seconds before saying, "What were you saying about me not having a sense of humor?" and going back to driving. Nistro didn't respond back.


	3. Chapter 3: Captured

I got a note. I forgot to say last chapter that Nistro and Dextra are at their current ages in the show, and the others are younger.

Shark wasted no time in swimming to the dock when he heard footsteps. They were light, so he knew they were Yuma's. Today was Saturday, and Yuma could spend the whole day with him. Shark leaped out of the water to see Yuma, then splashed back in when he waved. He made direct eye contact with the pink and black-haired boy when he resurfaced.

"Hey Shark! What's up?"

"Yuma you gotta help me!"

"With what?"

"There's people after me Yuma! Humans with nets and submarines and diving suites! They were here right after you left and I just barely made it to safety unseen." Shark was panting out his answer, and Yuma was wide-eyed.

"Calm down Shark." Yuma said, jumping in the water and hanging onto Shark's shoulders. "Now what happened?"

"Okay, about five minutes after you left...the water started to ripple. I panicked and dove under, hid in my coral bed and peeked out to see what it was. A submarine was there, and a human with a net in a diving suit was there. He was looking for me, Yuma. He wanted to capture me!"

"That's crazy."

"I know, but it's true!"

"Shark." Yuma looked into Shark's ocean-blue eyes. They had tears in them from all his panicking. "Shark I swear, I will never, _ever_ let them take you. And if they do, I will get you back here. Count on it."

Shark's breathing slowed a bit. He looked Yuma in the eyes as he asked his question. "You mean it?" Yuma smiled. "Of course!" He wiped the tears away and hugged Shark in a gentle fashion. Shark smiled and hugged him back, putting his tail around Yuma at the same time. When they pulled away, Yuma's eyes were full of curiosity.

"Let's go have some fun! Why don't you show me your coral bed?"

"How long can you hold your breath?"

"One minute."

"Good enough. Hop on." So Yuma jumped on, held his breath and hung on tight as Shark dove under. It took them only thirteen seconds to get to the coral bed. Yuma smiled. It was neat and tidy, with seaweed making a roof over it. Shark swam back up to the surface with Yuma. When he climbed off, he was really happy.

"Shark that's so pretty! I wish I could breathe in water. Then I could sleep over some time!" Yuma smiled and swam around Shark in a dog-paddle fashion to keep his strength hunkered down a bit. Shark watched intently as his friend swam around playfully. It was adorable. Once ,Yuma even yipped like a puppy, causing Shark to break out in a fit of laughter so hard he fell under the water. Yuma laughed when Shark came back up, his hair hanging in his face.

The two romped around for hours. Yuma went back to his house a few times to get some food and drinks. He loved to see Shark's expressions to tasting some of the stuff humans eat. He especially liked peanut butter. Yuma promised he'd bring some whenever he came.

The sun was beginning to set in the distance. Yuma stared as it did. He had been told to be home by six, and by the looks of things it was around five. As he started to go, Yuma felt a gentle pull on his wrist. He whirled around in alarm to find Shark with a puppy face.

"I have to go."

"Please don't! They'll come and get me Yuma!"

"What did I tell you? I'll protect you. And if they do capture you, then I'll get you back. It's a promise."

Silence followed as the two stared at each other. Shark finally let go of Yuma, who bent down on the dock and did something that shocked them both. He kissed Shark gently on the forehead, causing him to blush. "You'll be safe. I promise."

And with that, Yuma was gone. Shark sleeked back into the water. He decided to swim around for a while. Yuma had made him a promise, and he knew he'd never break it, no matter what it took. He had made that very clear to Shark. As the merman swam around, he noticed something in the distance.

Lights. And they were heading toward him.

_Oh no..._ Shark fled as quickly as he could, resurfacing and shouting for Yuma. Thankfully, he hadn't gotten very far. Yuma went running back upon hearing Shark calling him. He sounded worried and scared, and Yuma wanted to know what was going on. He froze when he got back to the dock.

There was Shark, swimming as quickly as he could away from the submarine after him. Yuma gasped when he was hoisted in the net. The pink and black-haired boy ran up and fell into the water in shock, then watched as Shark struggled to get free.

"Yuma! Help me! Help me!" Shark called, squirming around in the net. Yuma was wide-eyed. He tried to jump up and pull the net down, but it was no use. He couldn't reach in the water, and from the dock it was too long a jump to make it.

"Shark! I will find and free you! Count on it!" Yuma yelled it, waving his arms around doing so. Shark had tears in his eyes, but all his faith was now in Yuma. All he could do was nod as he began being dragged under the water. Yuma took one last shot and followed.

They went pretty deep. Yuma had been holding his breath for thirty seconds. He could almost reach the net. But when he could no longer hold his breath, he had to go up for air. Yuma gave Shark a sorrowful look as he swam back to the surface. Shark understood. Humans could not hold their breath long enough to do a task such as this.

He watched the surface of the water disappear as he was thrust into the submarine, then into a fish tank, one barely big enough to hold him. Nistro and Dextra watched closely as their captured merman struggled to get out of the tank and back to the surface.

"What do you think Dextra? Did we complete our mission?"

"I believe so Nistro. Now all we have to do is get him to the research lab."

They sped off, leaving a trail of bubbles behind that floated up to the surface and popped, where Yuma was standing against the dock, panting like a dog. He clenched his hand in a fist and snarled.

"Don't worry Shark. I'll find you and I will free you. I won't give up until I do!" Yuma said, standing and looking at the ocean one more time before speeding off to gather everything he needed for his plan.


	4. Chapter 4: Yuma's Plan in Motion

Dinner was a nightmare for Yuma. He couldn't even focus on his favorite dish, pizza. The pink and black-haired boy was just staring at his plate. Yuma normally tore through it, leaving only two or three pieces left. He'd only eaten two or three pieces, and Kari had an eyebrow raised toward her brother. She didn't pay too much attention, however, and neither did Haru.

"Yuma? Do you feel okay? You've barely touched the food." Kari asked, staring at her little brother. Yuma just looked up and smiled.

"I'm fine, trust me."

"Alright." As Kari said this, Yuma went back to thinking.

_How am I going to free Shark?_ Yuma thought. _I can't go now... Wait! Duh! I can sneak out tonight, and grandma and Kari will never know! All I gotta do is take some stuff with me. Yeah, it'll be perfect._ So that was the plan. Yuma would sneak out.

"I'm going to bed." Yuma jumped from his chair. Now his grandmother was confused.

"This early? You never do that!"

"I'm really tired!" was all Yuma yelled as he bolted up the stairs.

Later that night...

Yuma jolted up. It was eleven at night. Time for his plan to go into motion. The pink and black-haired boy hopped down the stairs quietly, quickly walked to the fridge and began to raid it. He grabbed all sorts of things; pickles, candy bars, jelly, water bottles. He made his way to the cabinets and did the same thing. Honey, rice, bread...Yuma was especially sure to remember peanut butter. He wanted to give some to Shark when he freed him.

"Okay...time to go." Yuma tiptoed out the door. He was surprised his sister didn't even hear it as it closed. He ran out toward the dock, planning to follow the line of bubbles that had been there earlier. A turn was never taken, that he was sure of. The small board Yuma had placed by the dock was thankfully still there. A surfboard Tori had given him.

Water splashed on the dock as Yuma jumped on the board. He kept his backpack on him as he began to paddle. Shark was in danger. He could sense it. Yuma began to go faster and faster. He had no idea where this straight line would bring him. He just knew he'd find Shark at the end of it.

"Hang on Shark...I'll get you...just like I promised..." Yuma panted, continuing to paddle with his hands. The salty water splashed in his face, but he didn't care. The pink and black-haired boy was going so quickly he couldn't believe it.

_Please be okay Shark...please be okay..._

Meanwhile...

Shark struggled to get out of the fish tank again. Dextra and Nistro had left him alone in a dark room, illuminated by only a single, red light. It was freaky. The purple-haired boy tried many things to escape. Tipping the fish tank had been one of them. That was a fail. So was jumping out. Shark had no way of escape then. He slumped back down and crossed his arms, doing his best to stay calm.

That was hard for Shark to do. He didn't like this small space of captivity, and he felt he'd get sick if he was in too much longer. His ocean-blue eyes glanced up. Shark had tears forming in them as he stared at the surface. How he wished he could be with Yuma right now, instead of cooped up in this fish tank.

"Yuma..." Shark moaned. He looked up in fear upon hearing the door open. There stood Dextra. She had a net in her hand.

"I wonder what the big deal with this merman is... Oh well, it isn't my pay that gets docked if this fails. It's Nistro's." Dextra scooped Shark up with ease. He yelped and scrambled around.

"Where are you taking me?!"

"You can speak?!"

"Yes I can speak! What are you going to do with me?"

"Well, I'm not going to do anything. But the scientists are attempting to do many tests on you."

"Why?" 

"You're a creature that isn't supposed to exist. They want answers...and they're gonna get them the pain way." Dextra said no more on the subject. Shark gulped and shuddered. He was terrified. He wanted something to hold, something that would make him believe everything was going to be okay. He wanted Yuma.

As they entered another room, Shark let out a yelp of pain as he was tossed onto a table. He looked up through the netting, staring in fear as needles and other pointy objects came into view of his surroundings. The purple-haired boy yelped as one of the needles went into him.

Suddenly, his vision began to blur. Shark was becoming dizzy. He tried to shake it off, but he couldn't. Soon, he fell right into a deep sleep. Nistro snickered. "Too easy." was all he said before he allowed the goons of Heartland to do their work. Shark flinched as more needles pierced into him, but he made no sound in his unconscious state.

Soon, a knife was pulled out. It gently grazed Shark's stomach with its tip, and he moaned. Nistro and Dextra stood in their spots as they saw the blood. It wasn't red. It was blue, like the ocean.

"That's unlikely..." Nistro said, continuing to stare. Dextra nodded and did the same.

"Very. But now we know something no one else did."

"True. It may help when we wanna do further tests."

"Duh Nistro. What do you think, we're doing this for no reason?"

"Uhh...no comment..." Dextra rolled her eyes as Nistro said that. She had won this argument. They continued to watch as Shark was examined and poked. The knife was even sent down his arm just so they could get a sample of his blood. Nistro had stuck his tongue out in disgust at that.

"I guess our work is done." Dextra walked off, ready to go and do whatever else she needed to. Nistro didn't move at first. It was like he was glued to the stuff they were doing to Shark. Dextra found that odd. When Nistro did notice, however, he yelped in shock at the sight Dextra was gone.

"Hey! Wait up! Wait up!" Nistro called, running after Dextra.

He certainly didn't want to miss his next mission.


	5. Chapter 5: Rescue Success

Yuma paddled faster and faster. He could see a building ahead. A dark one, with only one light on. It was a bright, red light. The pink and black-haired boy went to the side of the shore, jumped on the top of the rock in front of him, and began to run towards it. The surfboard he tied to the rock before he left, so it wasn't going anywhere unless someone moved it on purpose.

"Okay...now where would they be keeping Shark?" Yuma whispered as he looked around. Lights began to flood the hall he was in. Thinking there may be an attack, he sped off in whatever direction felt right to him.

An immediate left turn was taken. Yuma swerved to his right, then again to the left, and yelped when he nearly tumbled off a balcony. It had no railing, so that would've hurt. The pink and black-haired boy gasped when he saw what was under him.

Shark lay there, injured badly. Yuma couldn't believe it. The merman's arm had a slash on it, as did his stomach. He looked really weak, and it was obvious he was struggling to breathe. Yuma remembered how Shark had told him he needed water after about two hours to breathe. But who knew how long he'd actually been without it? No one else was in the room. It was the perfect opportunity to break him free.

"Shark! Shark!" Yuma jumped off the balcony. Shark looked at him dully, and he blinked slowly. His eyes were not ocean blue anymore. They were more of a gray color. Shark's tail and his hair were the same way. They had dulled down to the same shade of gray.

"Yu...ma... y-you came..." Shark coughed in between his words. Yuma nodded and attempted to lift his friend up. He succeeded, but had a hard time holding him as he went to exit.

"That's right Shark. I came, just like I promised." Yuma scurried as quickly as he could to get to the door. No one was in this building. _They must've gotten all they wanted and left Shark to die._ Yuma thought. He was heartbroken. What kind of heartless monster would harm such an innocent creature like Shark?

"Y-Yuma...Yuma please..." Yuma glanced down at Shark. The purple-haired shakily put his arm around Yuma's neck. He was having an even harder time breathing now. "I need water...quickly..."

"I'll get us out of here and get you back in the water." The pink and black-haired boy bounded outside, then stopped.

Nistro and Dextra stood there. They had pretty angered faces, causing Yuma to back up slowly and fearfully. Nistro followed just as slowly.

"What are you doing with our specimen?!" Nistro demanded. Yuma gulped.

"Saving him! He doesn't deserve to be hurt!"

"Give him back, kid." Dextra said, stepping forward. "We are not yet through with him."

"I don't care! Stay away from Shark!" Yuma ran past Nistro and Dextra, then bounded down the rest of the rocks. The Creature Hunters were right behind him, not daring to stop.

"Ah!" Yuma stopped dead in his tracks, nearly falling to his death as he stood at the edge of the highest rock point. He could hear Nistro laughing as he and Dextra came closer.

"It's all over kid. Now hand him over." Nistro held his hand out in a demanding fashion. Yuma shook his head.

"Never!"

But he was cornered. Yuma had nowhere to go but down. It was only when Shark pointed down did he know what to do.

"Give it up." Dextra said, staring at Yuma's crimson eyes. "You're outnumbered and cornered. How would you get out of this?"

"Like this!" Yuma yelled, jumping off the side of the rocks. Nistro went wide-eyed as he watched them fall, as did Dextra. Yuma screeched upon hitting the water. Instantly, Shark was able to swim. He grabbed Yuma by the waist gently, and began to swim on the surface, his hair, tail and eyes all back to their natural color.

"Well I say this was a fail. And there's nothing we can do about it." Dextra scoffed away, Nistro right next to her.

"Guess not. Kid's brave."

"Yeah. He really cares about that thing."

Meanwhile, in the water, Shark picked up speed. He hoisted Yuma on the surfboard, then dangled himself on its edge. Yuma smiled. "Thanks Shark."

"No prob."

"You wanna ride on the board? You need to rest."

"Why not?"

"Can your tail stay in the water so you can still breathe?"

"That'll work just fine."

"Alright then." Yuma hoisted Shark onto the board, leaving his tail in the water. The merman sat lay down and chuckled as Yuma began to paddle.

"Let me help." Shark began to flip his tail, causing the board to go so quickly Yuma almost couldn't keep up. He managed to however, and with Shark's help they were back at the dock in about ten minutes. That was amazing, considering the fact it had taken Yuma forty-five minutes to get there by himself. He leaped onto the dock, and he didn't move an inch farther. Shark raised an eyebrow.

"What're you doing?"

"I'm not leaving you. Not tonight."

"Yuma, you have to leave. You're family will get worried."

"But won't yours if they know you are unprotected?"

Shark shook his head lightly upon hearing Yuma's question. "What family? I'm the last merman that dwells in this area. And I honestly think I should leave before I get captured again."

"Where would you go?"

"...I don't know."

Yuma shot up with a smile afterwords. Shark was curious to know what his friend was thinking about.

"Shark, you could come live with me!"

"I'd love to. But I don't think you're family would be okay with that..."

"I'll make them okay with it. Please? There's a pool in my backyard that you can live in! And in winter I'll keep it heated!"

"..."

"C'mon Shark! It'll be fun!"

"...Alright Yuma. But how are you going to get me there?"

"How long can you go without water?"

"Um... about two hours if I really strain myself."

"It'll take a lot less time to get there." Yuma grinned and lifted Shark out of the water, sitting him on the deck while he pulled the surfboard onto it. He motioned with his hand, and Shark climbed on the board. Yuma slipped on his backpack and grabbed the rope. "You ready?"

Shark's nod signified Yuma could begin pulling, which is exactly what he did. He ran all the way back to his house, then slid the surfboard into the pool. Shark jumped off and popped back up with a smile. "I have the feeling I'll like it here." he whispered before sliding under the water to sleep.

"I'm sure you will Shark." Yuma smiled back and proceeded into his house. Kari and Haru were still asleep. That was good. They hadn't figured out he'd been gone. The pink and black-haired boy chuckled and ran up to his room.

From his window, Yuma could see the swimming pool in the backyard. He saw Shark sitting on the board, flicking his tail in the water. His jacket was still on, and even though it had a slash on one of the sleeves, he continued to wear it as a sign of friendship towards Yuma. Yuma opened the window slowly and waved from where he stood. Shark smiled and waved back.

"I'll see you in the morning!" Yuma hollered, shutting the window. Shark nodded and dove back under the water, while Yuma crawled into bed.

He had a lot to tell Kari and Haru in the morning.


	6. Chapter 6: Welcome to The Family

"What is _that_?"

Yuma turned to where Kari was pointing. He'd dragged his older sister out of the house and to the pool, as well as he had his grandmother. He'd also instructed Shark to be on the board, tail and all, when they came into the water. Now, they were staring intently at the merman in their pool.

"Yuma, answer me. What is in our pool?"

"That's Shark, Kari!"

"Shark?"

"Yeah, Shark! He's my merman friend from the docks. I went out last night and freed him from his prison!"

Kari and Haru gasped in shock. Yuma just watched as his older sister lashed out on him.

"ARE YOU CRAZY? You snuck out! Yuma Tsukumo, that has to be the most ridiculous, most stupid, most~"

"Hey chill out. Yuma saved my life." Shark stopped Kari's sentence with a calm and cool attitude. Kari went wide-eyed. She hadn't realized this thing could talk! "Your little brother has shown me I can trust humans. He put his life in danger for mine, and he saved both our lives when he jumped off that cliff and into the water. Don't be angered with him Kari."

The group stayed silent as Shark swam towards the end of the pool. It was no where as big as his ocean, but it was big for a pool, from what Yuma had said. Twice the length in both directions, and apparently that was large for a swimming pool. Shark offered a gentle smile and backed off a little, as if to tell them it was indeed okay to get in the water. This was true, but apparently he needed to show it.

No one moved for a while. Shark flicked water on Yuma gently. He laughed and plunged right into the cold water. Kari and Haru watched in shock. They couldn't believe he'd just done that.

"So? Are the rest of you going to come in or what?" Shark questioned, holding Yuma close with his tail. Gingerly, Kari put her feet in. Slowly afterwards, she sank in and crept next to her brother and Shark. Haru mimicked her granddaughter's actions and made her way to the merman. Kari raised her hand, but retaliated because she didn't know if Shark would be okay with it.

She certainly didn't expect to hear Shark say it was okay to touch the elegant tail attached to his body. Slowly, she grazed her fingertips across the smooth surface. Her wide eyes made Haru do the same, both things included. Yuma smiled. "Smooth, isn't it?" he asked. Kari could only nod. Haru didn't move at all. Shark snickered.

"Well I guess you can stay. No use dragging you back to the docks if you aren't going to hurt us." Haru said, smiling brightly. Shark seemed satisfied with the approval as Yuma pulled him into a hug. "That and the fact he was being pursued by Creature Hunters."

"What's a Creature Hunter?" Kari asked.

So Yuma told of the previous nights events, not leaving out a single detail. Shark chimed in now and again, which helped greatly because as he'd learned, Yuma was very forgetful. Kari and Haru had gone wide-eyed multiple times because they couldn't believe Yuma would do something so dumb to save something.

Wait, scratch that. They could so believe it.

"You did all that to save Shark?" Haru asked. Yuma and Shark nodded. Kari shook her head in disbelief.

"Yuma, that's amazing. I never would've been able to do something like that. And I'm twelve years old! That's three more years older than you." The pink-haired girl slapped her brother on the back happily. "Good on ya, little brother. We're proud." Yuma smiled back and turned to Shark. "So you wanna go play in the deep end?"

"Why not?" As Shark said this, a massive wave came crashing down on Yuma. He spit some water up and began to swim after him. Haru and Kari watched as they interacted. It wasn't everyday you got to see someone play with a merman, after all. They splashed around, going in circles until Shark dove under the water. Yuma didn't know where he went until he popped back up.

What happened next startled Kari and Haru, but Yuma the most.

Shark grabbed Yuma by the waist gently, then held him there as he kissed him on the lips. Kari's eyes got wide again, and Haru thought about fainting.

The two pulled away from each other, staring into one another's eyes. Yuma blushed and Shark smirked.

"W-What was that for?"

"Think of it as a reward for saving me, Yuma."

"I don't think it was needed. My reward is just having you here with me!"

This caused Shark to blush as Yuma hugged him again. Kari and Haru stared intently. Eventually, Kari shook her head again. "That Yuma is something else." She said. But she was glad her little brother had found a friend he could spend time with. Even if he was a merman. Who cares? A friend is a friend.

Sun glinted down on the pool. Yuma and Shark continued to frolic around in the water. Kari smiled, and Haru laughed as she took a picture with her phone. Yuma suddenly dragged Shark with him, in hopes of getting a picture of all four of them. They weren't just friends, they were family now.

"You wanna get one of all of us?" Kari asked. Yuma nodded. The four of them clustered together as Kari took the picture. Shark blinked a few times and smiled at Yuma and his family.

"Thanks you guys. You really are true friends."

And with that, Shark pulled Yuma back with him, wanting to spend time with his ocean pal. He had a feeling he'd like this even more than he first expected.

**END**


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